


Till you wake up

by SincereOpheliac



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-03-18 03:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3555125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SincereOpheliac/pseuds/SincereOpheliac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Little Lily need to wake up from her nightmare and into the reality.<br/>Before she get's sucked into Arkhams underbelly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The writer here.  
> I hope the reader will enjoy this story and I also hope I will get valid constructive feedback from you. Especially when it comes to grammar since English is not my native language and I would also have enjoyed it if I got reviews on my take on canon characters.  
> But I will also note that I’m in no way putting stigma on people with mental illnesses as I know that very few of them are criminals. But to a story like this it is essential to have one or more characters suffering from it and of course this goes to my OC. No one would have gotten incarcerated at Arkham without it but one of my concerns is that I may have made my OC perhaps a little bit too innocent but time might show if I have made a good decision.  
> Just to mention it, I would love to discuss my AU with anyone and also the canon world.  
> Thank you

Doctor Leland hurried down the halls. She had only five minutes left to get to her latest appointment and it had not been her intention to arrive this late but she had read her patients file endlessly in an attempt to be as prepared as possible. 

Lily Petersen

24 years old and just recently she had become a killer. Surprising some but others claimed she had been a ticking bomb waiting to explode. Doctor Leland was not sure if anyone of them were correct but time would show. Lily had also divided the workroom earlier tonight, having a new patient being transferred to section D always got the gossip going and in this case many had fought for the privilege of being the first doctor assigned to Lily.

But Jeremiha Arkham had decided that based on the patients file, which stated that Lily had never opened up to any male doctor and the fact that Leland was the most experienced psychiatrist on the night shift, she had gotten the case.   
The patients file had stated that Lily had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Through the years she had been in and out of mental institutions for both psychosis and mood changes but to Doctor Leland the section about her patients psychosises intrigued her. In the files her psychosises were described as having bouts of paranoia over the institutions surveiling her but these had changed drastically the last month into beliefs of higher beings using radios and other mediums as a means to control and invade her mind. The file also stated that her new patient had said that her former self-harm were these beings fault.

She seemed like an interesting case.

Stopping infront of the interview room, Doctor Leland collected herself before going in, she was met with the sight of a small woman on the other side of the table. She had a couple of bruises that were still turning purple and with an expression that the doctor could not read. With good intentions Doctor Leland gave her her most reassuring smile before settling down in the chair.

From her pocket she fetched her tape recorder and made a point in turning it towards herself as a means to not get her patient anxious. It failed as she saw Lily’s eyes turning big.

«I’ve checked it twice and there is no radio transmitter in it».

Surprisingly her new patient did not start to argue with her, she had expected atleast a little outburst over it and perhaps even having to put it away but Lily remained calm as the taperecorder started to make whirring noises as it were turned on.   
«This is Doctor Leland with patient number 135577, this is the first interview in a series of five during her first month here at Arkham Asylum.» The good Doctor started with the usual formalities that were expected of her but in her mind she wanted to start immediatly at trying to get to the core of her patients mind. 

«Now Lily I will have to ask you some questions, some of them may be difficult and personal but I hope you will nonetheless answer them. You will also be able to come with input and I will also ask you to elaborate your answers. You are safe with me» Doctor Leland could see that her patient did not believe her a bit but the last sentence seemed to had struck a cord in her patient.

With a turn to the guard on the outside of the interview room, Lily bent forward in her seat, touching the table with her shackles and with a look into her Doctor’s eyes she whispered.

«I’m not safe her and you should know it better than anone else.»

Again Doctor Leland had failed at being reassuring and she found herself thinking that her new patient reminded her of a child from a broken home. 

«But I’ll prove you otherwise.» 

Lily found herself wondering if she could trust this new Doctor. She had been the first person trying to reach out for her and for some reason it looked like that in some strange way, perhaps if she cooperated she could survive this place and maybe get out alive. Arkham Asylum had a reputation, with it’s ominous looks and it’s more colourful patients it had become known in the world as a place to avoid at all cost. Lily knew about section D, where the mentioned colourful patient resided and the thought that she would soon be among them were something that made her mouth go dry. She would be like Daniel going into the lions den.

In Leland’s mind some of the same thoughts were popping up. She had yet to believe that Lily should be sent into section D and despite her crime she could not help but sympathise with the woman.

«Maybe I should start. My name is Joan Leland and I’ve been working here for about five years, in that time I’ve interviewed many of the first timers in here and not only those who is to get incarcerated into section D, nothing that you tell me will shock me» and with a smile she finished «Your turn.»

With that Lily seemed to relax a little bit more and with her head turned up she started talking.

«My name is Lily Petersen and I’ve never had a job. I’ve also never been here at Arkham before and I’m scared of going to section D.»

That piece of honesty Leland thought, was a good start to this interview and a good sign of Lily starting to warm up to her.«I understand that you are scared, as I mentioned earlier I’ve interviewed many of the first timers going to Section D and many of them was also scared of going there.»

Lily grew silent for a moment and looked to be in deep thought as she contemplated this. But as the moment went by she furrowed her brow and she wanted to ask her new Doctor a simple question but something held her back and Leland noticed this. «Anything on your mind?», the woman shock her head and tensed up expecting a follow up question but it never came.

«Well then we can continue.»

«Wait!»

«Yes?»

«What will happen to me?» Lily stumbled with her words but they came out understandibly. «That depends on what you’re reffering to, but if you mean how you will get treated here then the answer is simple. We will try to cure you and make you an upstanding citizen.». The woman nodded her head and let her mind drift to what happened earlier tonight.

«What are you thinking about?»

Lily wondered how far she could trust this woman. She had only known her for about six minutes and as far as she was concerned she could be affiliated with the higher beings as she reffered to them. What if she were? What could she possible do to her?  
To Leland it seemed that to get her trust were essential to get these interviews going so she told Lily that they had aproximately half an hour left. She only hoped that it was not a mistake as it could have been interpretated as an impatient move on her part. So she started with the questions form. «Lily I will now go trough a question form with you, this is completely ordinary on your first interview and from now on remember that these may feel invasive but they are required from our part as we want to get to know you and how we are going to treat you.»

The woman looked frightened for a moment but she also seemed interested and curious.

«First question: Do you know why you are here?»

Lily pondered on it but answered truthfully. «I bombed a building and with it I killed twenty people but hurt thirty five.»

«Good» Leland thought, this interview seemed to go well from the start.

«Second question: Why?»

With a look of regret the girl started to inform her on the reason. «I believed that one of the higher beings were constructing a new radio transmitter there, Doctor Leland, it was not my intention to hurt those people, I was not myself and if I could do something about I truly would.» Lily started to get agitated as she said it but Leland broke policy when she touched Lily’s hand. It was a stupid move but she did not want her patient to shut down.

«It’s okay Lily, you have done good so far and I believe that you did not intentionally hurt those people.»

Lily calmed down as the cool touch transferred up her arm. She was baffled at this act but it worked and her trust hightened, none of the people affiliated with one of the higher beings had been so kind and reassuring and as the Doctor retrieved her hand she started to ask the questions regarding her past.

«Lily, the next questions will be about you past and how you turned out the way you are.» Leland looked down at her form and remembered how much she hated it as it in her view stiffened up sessions too much. It was policy to use it but she wished that she could have been allowed to make her own set of questions.

«Question three: How was your childhood?»

«But haven’t you read my file?»

Pushing her glasses to it’s correct place she answered «I have but I would like to hear it from you and besides it is on this form that we will have to go through.»

Lily thought about this for awhile but she started with one word: «Happy».

«Would you like to elaborate?»

With a tiny sigh the girl told Leland that her childhood had been free of abuse, that her parents had been loving, devoted to her and tried to help her with her illness.»  
Leland knew it was a lie as the file had had a section explaining how Lily had ended up being disowned on the basis of her being schizoaffective, her parents may never have been physically abusive but they had certaintly been a factor in Lily’s declining health. It baffled her that people had it in them to simply leave someone they were supposed to protect and support but she had seen it in former patients too so it did not shock her.

With a gentle voice the Doctor assured her that it was okay to tell and that Lily could trust her and the rest of the staff, «Afterall it is our duty to help you.» 

Deep in though Lily muttered, «It was not a living hell.»

«But still it must not have been easy.»

By that she recived a tiny laugh taking her by surprise. «What is so funny?», the woman stiffled down and gave her a small smile, «You trying to make me open up.».   
«Why is that so funny?»

«You already know it.»

Leland tried to ask her more about it but Lily refused and asked if they could continue. Abiding to her wish Leland asked the fourth question: How was your social life in school. At this the tiny smile vanished but in it’s place a look of determination appeared and with a simple sentence she answered, «I was alone.» Doctor Leland did not want to push it further as the trust between them were still fragile.

«Fifth question: How was your social life in adult age?»

At this Lily perked up and with a genuine smile she replied. «It was good, I ha done reliable friends who have been very supportive of me and we have had our laughs.» But for Leland those words were a double edged sword. «What do you mean by it was good?» and Lily’s expression became unreadable again.

«I guess they won’t be visiting me no more.»

«Don’t say that, after what I’ve read in your file, especially about your best friend, it seems that she won’t just leave you behind.»  
«You sure about that Joan?»

By using her first name, Doctor Leland knew that she had established trust between them and now it was essential to remain that trust. «I’m absolutley sure about that» she reassured her patient and it seemed that Lily relaxed a little as she settled more in her chair. «Should we continue?». Lily nodded already before Leland asked her.

«Questions six: What were your plans in life before you ended up at Arkham?»

Lily grew miserable in an instant and Leland did not want to push it but she could not help herself wondering if she should ask the question again but Lily gave her an answer. «I wanted to enroll at Gotham University.». It was an honorable answer and Leland knew what would be her and the staffs goal when it came to Lily. Getting her on her feet again and making sure she would get both an education and her life again.

«What did you want to study?» Leland was genuinely curious. Lily lifted her head up again and with a hopefull voice she said «Psychology.»

Leland was not surprised but her mind likewise got pleased. Lily also seemed more motivated to do the interview as she answered, «I would love to become a scientist.» and with a smile Leland investigated further, «On what would you like to study?».  
«Oh I’m not entirely sure but, this might come off as cheezy but I would love to study people like me.»  
«People like you? what do you mean by that?»  
«People who have the same diagnoses as me. Leland? I really want to help people, I am not evil despite what I’ve done.» at the last part Leland had concern that it could all be a ploy to reel her in on some sick and twisted plot, but in this case she wasn’t so sure about that. Her patient seemed to be truthfull and in some way eager to redeem herself. Lily could maybe be one of the very few that got reformed and could be sent out to society perfectly safe for the bystander. In her mind this was one of her highest wishes.  
Just like Lily, Leland had in her whole life wanted to help people, first she wanted to become a cop, then a lawyer before she ended up as a psychiatrist. Not that she knew that she would end up at a place like Arkham but nonetheless it was her contribution in this world. If Lily could get her life back she would be rooting for her all the way. It would be worth it in the end.

Lily saw a very thoughtfull look on her psychiatrists face and wondered if she had said something wrong. She voiced this concern and her doctor assured her that that was not the case.  
«I was just thinking about how we are going to treat you here and that we have a goal to strive towards»

Again Lily perked up and a look of hope replaced her worried one. «You really think that I can get out of here?» she said with a shaky voice. Leland nodded with a smile on her face. «There seems to be a bit of hope to reform you.». But at that very moment the guard tapped at the door, the session was over and Leland had to pack down her tape recorder.

«Will you be my Doctor from now on?» the woman asked as the doctor was to leave.  
«Yes» and with that the guards came to retrieve Lily but as they passed by the doctor a smile was on her patients face.


	2. Rise and shine

She took a deep breath as her patient was taken back to her cell. Something was off and she could not place her finger on it, the interview had been a success but it also felt too saccharine and that could prove dangerous. Deep in her thoughts a lightening struck outside. It’s light travelling through the window making the shadows in the dingy halls of the asylum grow darker and deeper.

Even as a little girl she had never been frightened by thunderstorms but it sent chills up her spine nonetheless. It was in some way symbolic for the evenings events.

She started to walk down the corridor, her high heels barely heard over the shrieks and screams of the asylums inhabitants. No one enjoyed walking through the asylum wether it was inside or outside. But there were two routes to get back at the work room, one that went through the east side and one that went through the west side. On the west side you walk past section A and B but by taking the other route you walk past section C and D. It was usually not much of a choice really.  
But for some reason she decided to take the eastern route. She did not know why but she thought it was fitting after interviewing a new section D patient. So she strode down the right corridor. The rain started to pound on the roof and the wind howled trough it’s holes. After the incident earlier this year some of the damages had yet to be fixed due to the lack of funding. Many of the earlier benefitiaries had stopped supporting the asylum.

«Making it even easier for it’s patients to break out.»

It angered her. 

It angered her that these people with too much money and too little of brain had left them in such a state. Would it not be in their best interest to make sure that the criminals stayed put? After all it was them who were most often targeted by some of the patients looking for easy money, by stealing priceless artifacts and jewellry.

As she thought of all of this she brushed past a guard with red hair. She gave a little hello but the guard sauntered away not even looking at her. 

«Wierd.»

But she did not think of it until later.

She stopped to take in the main hall. It must have been beautiful in it’s old days with it’s portraits of former patrons, psychatrists and of course the founder of the asylum: Amadeus Arkham. A brilliant man in his time but unfortunately he ended up as a patient in the very asylum he built. It was really a shame and she hoped it would never happen to her. 

«It will not happen.»

Her thoughts died as a siren errupted and shouths could be heard. The speaker shouted «Code red!». She knew very well what that meant.  
A patient from section D had escaped.

«As long as it isn’t Joker or Zsasz.» she whispered to herself.

She ran back to the work room as fast as she could backtracing her former steps. She had to hurry, she had no idea of who had escaped and it sent her in a panicky state as she sprinted down the corridors.  
Guards were approaching fast and she stopped to ask who had escaped. «It’s The Riddler!» they shouted as they ran past her. On some level she was relieved, The Riddler could be nefarious and spiteful, especially towards the ones he considered lesser beings, which was almost everyone in this world. She had had the displeasure of having him as a patient once and having to quit after two weeks of almost daily interviews.

He had been impatient and when he hadn’t been insulting her, he had asked her riddles in an attempt to prove himself superior. He had done this especially after she had asked him about his childhood, which was obviously a sore spot to him. But he had never killed anyone on purpose and that made him different than most of the other residents. That was his most admirable trait. She remembered asking him about it and his answer had been «I’m not like those other animals.»

She could slow her pace but she remembered the guard she had brushed past on her way down to section D. She stopped in her tracks immediatly. It must have been him.

Again she turned towards the nearest guard and told him what she knew. «The Riddler had walked down the south route.» With a nod he took up his walkie talkie and informed the others about the whereabouts of the escapee. She had worked up a sweat so she took up on of her papertowels from her purse and dried her dark skin. Her chest was heaving as she entered the work room.

The work room was a mess with both psychatrists and psychologist flailing around trying to understand what’s happening and who had caused the ruckus. But as she entered the room everyones eyes turned to her for an explaination. «The Riddler has escaped.» got out of her mouth and she could see many of them calming down. They thought the same as her, as long as it isn’t The Joker or Zsasz. Make no mistake of it, it was bad that any of the residents of section D escaped but Edward Nigma would not stab and kill multiple of the staff just for fun. When he escaped it was always in a very quiet way, which was probably one of the reasons why he also was so succesfull.

He was only beaten by The Joker who for some reason, despite all the gore and ruckus he would make, seemed to have an almost supernatural ability to get past the security system. Who could have forgotten about that one time he sprung loose all of the asylum. Jeremiha had rebuilt the whole asylum except the old halls on the east side into an elaborate labyrinth based on the golden ratio because of it.

But as they calmed down, some of them walked up to her and asked her about Lily.

«How did it go?»

«It went really well.»

«Oh really?»

She braced herself for further questioning, reminding herself to not give away too much information, both for herself and Lily’s sake, but sometimes she really wished she could have had someone to safely confide in. This job could be too much sometimes.  
«She answered truthfully on all my questions and she seems to want to try to get rehabilitated.» That was all she would tell them.

The therapist called Barthomolew quirked an eyebrow, seemingly not believing her but what she had told was only a fragment of the truth. She decided to walk away and get some space. She could feel her throat itching and her mind swarmed with worry about her new patient. Worrying if she was just a great liar and not that different from the others incarcerated. But the woman had some of the saddest eyes Leland had ever seen. «But it could all be a mirage.»  
The red light went on and the siren started to wail again as did the speaker. Hushed voices whispered and most of them froze were they were standing. Who was it this time?

Screams could be heard in the distance and as they progressed everyone knew. It was Jonathan Crane aka Scarecrow, once a respectable professor in psychology turned into a fear junkie, experiments involving chemicals made to make the recipients mind break, and the voice that whispered from the corner and into your ear. She shuddered at the thought and she was not the only one. No one dared to move or even make a sound. As if it would draw him near.  
Amidst the screaming they could hear the shouts of the guards as they rushed all over the asylum in search of the escaped patient. The thumps of their feet drawing near the work room. Leland could see some of her colleagues shaking. They all hoped that Jonathan Crane wouldn’t come for them, «Not this time.» she whispered to herself as the thumping went in another direction.

The red light went off and Aaron Cash came into the work room, clearly ashamed with his mouth drawn into one line. «We couldn’t find them.»  
But Jeremiha did not even look at him.

This was just what they needed. Another failure in keeping their residents in check.

What would the news papers write in the papers this time?   
They all knew.

But one thing was for sure. The danger is never over.


	3. What now?

She had not liked the way she’ been handled by the guards; they had not been considerate to her bruises so they had worsened by minutes. While she had been ignoring the pain, she had taken in her new environment. Walls and doors made of metal and covered with grime dominated but as they walked to the left, they arrived at the old cells, now used as holding cells for newcomers, walls and floors made of red bricks and with cobwebs in the corners.

With the shackles still on she was shoved into her new cell. She turned around to put her hands through a tiny hole in the door and by doing that; the guards could safely take out their keys and lock up her handcuffs.

Turning her hands over she massaged them. Those handcuffs had been one size too small even for her. She also took off her grey shirt to investigate her bruises further. Most of her left arm was covered in bruises shaped like finger marks and it traced up her chest. The Batman had been rough towards her despite her not being threatening at that moment.

Was she that dangerous?

She was not sure.

However, she knew that she had to keep information from her shrink.

She had told, was her name Joan? White lies for most of the time, sugar coated the words that had flown out of her mouth before she gave it a second thought. There was no way she was going to tell this Joan about her secrets. She decided this despite her earlier urge to trust the Doctor. How could she had been so stupid? To want to confide to a stranger.

A shrink nonetheless.

Looking back at the interview, she knew that her new shrink had a loophole into her head. She had read her file and appeared to have come prepared. Probably knowing her prehistory with violence, her parents and some of her worst traumas. Lily could not stand the thought of going back to the room, to be alone with Doctor Leland.

She could not help but let a little laugh slip out through her lips. Wanting to attend the psychology course at Gotham University, More like Nah. However, she had admitted three things. She did want out desperately, that she was scared and that she did not do her crime on purpose.

«Oh my god»

It finally sank in that she was the cause of the crime. How did it happen? Why?

To think she did something like that became unbearable and a couple of tears formed in her eyes.

«One of them was a baby»

However, before becoming hysteric she drew those thoughts away. Weakness could be dangerous in a place like this.

In the beginning of this ordeal, she had thought that the people she would have to fear was the other residents, but she had failed to acknowledge the orderlies, the guards and the staff.

Most importantly the shrink that was assigned to her case.

Joan Leland, she thought probably meant well but she could never know the whole truth.

She could not know that Lily would do anything to get out. Lying, cheating, deceiving and being a chameleon among the loud and proud. That was how she was going to survive this place.

She noticed how cold her cell was so she put on her shirt again. Making sure that its itching fabric did not brush too much over her bruises. The chill was still there but at least she was somewhat isolated. Looking at her surroundings, she could not help but disapprove. It was filthy and both the walls and the floors was stained with marks from earlier inhabitants. She was unnerved by the scratch marks on the walls and the piece of a fingernail she found.

To get time going she decided to investigate her new surroundings but after a while, that became boring, so she sat down on her new bed and tried to fall asleep. The thin mattress and the itchy fabric made it difficult but she managed and she fell into bliss.

 

In the office of Doctor Leland

 

Doctor Leland saw over her notes and wondered about her new patient. She had a feeling that Lily was both lying and hiding something vital from her, but what was it? Could there be more reasons behind her attack than what everyone is presuming?

The way that the woman had been smiling had left a sour taste in her mouth. It had been a slit in an otherwise ordinary face and the way those grey eyes had been shining with a mix of fear and something else. But what was this something else?

The woman’s act of conduct had also been off putting. She had not acted as if she did not care like most of the residents usually did, but like a lost child. Lily had been lying to her. Leland was sure of it.

But the question was why?

Why would someone who had just had a psychosis that ended with murder, keep a secret from someone who could help her?

Leland’s head was filled with questions as she decided to look over Lily’s papers. Some of them could be traced back to her first incarceration at the Daniel’s private clinic when she was fourteen, Lily had been sent away by her mother for what was later determined as a depressive episode, through the following year the woman had been sent away five times and the following six years had made that a total of thirteen times…

Something suddenly popped up in Leland’s head.

Earlier that night she had wondered why Lily was being sent to section D. To her Lily seemed more fit to enter section C than section D, Jeremiha had also seemed more secretive than he usually was, and that was saying something. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, he was a great boss to have and always supported his employees who, among other things, had fallen victim to some of the patient’s cruelty, and he always had some good words to share.

But in this place, hiding something could prove deadly, especially withholding information. But to send someone into section D without a proper reason?

It was sacrilegious to put it mildly.

She arched her back, it had been a long day and she still had two hours left in this place, with The Riddler and The Scarecrow escaping, everyone including the guards had to work overtime.

Seeing the bunk of papers revolving around Lily made her heart drop a little. It was a testament of how an illness could drive a person into madness, Leland had never liked the word but she lacked the vocabulary to properly name it anything else. Starting on the first page was Lily’s bio, the picture showed a younger Lily in a faded white dress.

She could not had been more than seventeen in the picture.

What happened to you?

A sudden rapping on the door broke her concentration. Sliding off her chair she walked as confidently as she could to the door, Leland was still shaken after the evenings events. It had been a close call.

It was Aron Cash’s stoic face but marred with something along with despair.

“It’s Lily.”

Leland’s eyes widened and she ran past him. What now?

 

In The Riddler’s hideout

The breakout had been easy even though the new security system was supposed to be top notch. The hairless monkeys could not keep a superior being in a cage and a cage was what Arkham was.

In his opinion anyway.

Looking across the couch sat a quiet lanky old man. Deep in concentration, not surprisingly working on a new strain of fear toxin and he remembered how the former Professor had expressed a deep dissatisfaction with his current version of the hallucinogen. The small warehouse seemed claustrophobic to him and he needed, no craved some human interaction but at the same time he knew that it could bring him trouble. The man beside him was not someone to tamper with and earlier encounters had proven this, he had himself been gassed and the things he had seen sent a shiver down his spine. But then again he hated being ignored.

So with the usual smirk he decided to slither closer.

“What are you working with?” he asked with his most innocent timbre.

He could see how those long fingers contracted themselves as Jonathan raised his head and those cold eyes met his. With an irritated frown The Scarecrow simply looked at him before turning his attentions back at his papers, Edward knew better than to push his luck but he ignored this, he also knew that Jonathan did his best to get a rise of him. He had done this many a times before when Edward had decided that he needed something to stimulate him.

He had a feeling that the reason was to have an excuse to make him a “test subject”.

But as mentioned earlier: He hated being ignored and this simply wouldn’t do.

And just before Edward was to open his mouth, Jonathan, never looking away from his paper decided to speak up.

“ _Before you open that chatter mouth of yours,_ **think** _about this:_ _what is green and screams at the top of his lungs?_ ” the threat was not vague and so with a short harrumph Edward crossed his arms and moved back at his spot. The room was cold and he felt a little bit drowsy, so he pulled the dirty blanket that had been left in the warehouse over him. His mistake came in the form of his feet touching the other man.

“ _Nygma…_ ” the professors voice was barely a whisper, and Edward knew that The Scarecrow wasn’t far behind so he pulled himself into a foetal position and hoped he did not fall asleep as to not make the mistake again.

A couple of hours later he woke up to the sound of distant voices and the clattering of porcelain.

That could only mean one thing: Jervis Tetch.

Edward had never liked the man. Not so much because of his blubbering of nonsense, maybe a little bit but not much, but rather his tendencies to like younger girls and his predicament to not listen to a no. After all the man believed that free will did not exist and to think that many people, him included once, underestimated the short man. The scary thing was that Jervis was a gentleman and so many women had fallen prey.

He would never understand why a dignified man like Jonathan Crane kept the man around, well maybe it was because of the usefulness he could be and that he was a formidable chess player. But most likely not anything else. The man also had a tendency to not shower in a while and that was something that repulsed him, Edward was obsessed with cleanliness and he had personally cleaned the new hideout. Much to Jonathan’s joy.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes he got noticed by the two other men and Jervis exclaimed something he did not understand but surely enough the man jumped from his seat and ran towards him, and gave him a crushing hug that left him breathless. It lingered a couple seconds too long in Edward’s opinion but he tolerated it for the time being knowing that if Jervis felt smited he could easily snatch out one of those mind control cards.

With a fake smile Edward greeted him.

“How’s it going?”

Jervis smile grew wider than what should have been possible for a normal human being.

“Oh you would never know! I saw Alice yesterday!”

Edward’s heart dropped and he had to struggle to keep his smile up. This could only mean one thing, yet another girl fallen prey to Jervis whims and yet another carnage that would leave a family in despair. Edward rarely expressed any empathy or sympathy towards anyone, in his mind it was a waste of time and space. But sometimes even he could find it in him to reach out.

“Hmm, you don’t say…”

The man jumped up and down in excitement before he, for some reason, stopped completely. He grew unusually quiet and had his eyes downcast as a remorseful look entered his features. “She will never love me.” And with that he turned on his heels and seated himself on his chair beside Jonathan and started to chatter in his usual ways, as if nothing had happened.

Still puzzled, Edward decided that it was time to find something to eat, he rose from the couch and sauntered away from the chatting men in the living room. The fridge was an old thing probably only half working, but it was sufficient enough. The only thing that grated on his nerves was Jonathan’s insistence that his precious chemicals were to be kept there.

But surely enough they had a sufficient amount of food thanks to their goons doing their grocery shopping. That was one of the few thing those imbeciles were good for.

_“Edward, come here.”_ Jonathan’s voice came out from the living room.

“Not now.”

Still head deep in the fridge he heard footsteps arriving behind him. Turning around he saw the good professor towering over him. He had an unreadable expression but those thin lips parted as he whispered silently.

“ _I think it is time that you and I had a talk._ ”

 

 

 

 

 


	4. The session

She awoke to the sound of laughter. She opened her eyes carefully as a white mist entered through the door, fearing the worst she repressed her scream and hoped that it would not be as bad as the last time.

But of course she was wrong

The mist formed a creature with a long spindly frame and fingers, it started walking towards her only to crouch beside her.

What could it possible want?

It had visited her before and as always it remained silent. She couldn’t bear it for long so she tried to give out an ear piercing scream but all that came out was a silent shriek. The creature had a slit for mouth that started to form a grin, wide eyed she watched as the grin extended to such a degree that teeth were showing.

They reminded her of wolf teeth.

But the creature remained silent and all she wanted was to bury her head into the covers, but at the same time she did not dare to lose sight of it. Knowing what it was capable of and so she too remained silent. She did not know how long they remained this way but she hoped that it would go away since it sometimes did.

Why?

Why did it not go away this time!

Her thoughts raced and her eyes started to water up as the creature leant over her. It opened its mouth and made a slow hissing noise. She could feel it’s breath on her face and she shrunk further into the bed. It closed its mouth but its black beady eyes remained set on her as it travelled all around her body, as if taking her in.

It opened its mouth after a minute of this. For her it felt like an eternity and she hoped it would finally leave but it seemed like she was out of luck as it wanted to talk.

“Don’t be afraid my child…”

It drawled out the words as if it deliberately wanted to scare her.

It worked well and when it leant even closer to give her a kiss, she finally found the courage to scream as loud as she could. The mist cleared out instantly but was replaced by noises and voices.

Her voices.

Ten of them screaming at the same time. It was, to her, a deliberate attempt to make her lose her mind. She had lived through this before and she could do it again, but why now?

Was it because it had been a stressful day?

It had, as noted before, happened several times though her life. But this time it seemed almost like it had done the last time, unbearable to withstand and too loud.

Sensory overload.

She could feel bugs crawling beneath her skin as she tried to stand on the bed. Shadows were lurking beneath the bed and she wanted to stay clear of them for as long as possible. Her episode did not went unnoticed as the camera in the east corner got it all on tape. The guards on the other side pushed the button on the walkie talkie placed for this very purpose.

“We have an issue in holding cell 39.”

This message went to the guards working the night shift. Aaron Cash was the one who ran to Doctor Lelands office, in great haste he ran past the inmates of Section D. They leered and passed their jokes with The Joker taking deep pleasure at shouting the loudest.

“Seems like somethings up, maybe it is Croc again waiting to take a bite off your other hand!”

“Shut up!”

Aaron hated them all and could not understand why they did not get the death sentence. The city would be better off without such critters. But he was not a judge now was he? He’d wish he was and not a mere guard at Arkham and as he was running he did not see the shadows growing deeper behind him. They followed him all the way to Leland’s office.

He knocked three times and could hear through the door that the Doctor slides off her chair. And with a couple of steps she opens the door with a questioning gaze. Catching his breath he says his orders.

“It’s Lily”

He could not find it in him to have sympathy for the woman, after all she was responsible for the death of his own aunt and uncle. But his thought were stopped as Joan ran past him before he had the chance to speak another word.

Pumping those legs up and down she was grateful for having exercised the last month. She pushed off her coat since it weighed her down and as she passed Section D, the inmates laughed and cheered.

“Seems like someone’s in a hurry!”

“Show off some more Joan!”

But she gave them no attention, her thoughts racing to her new patient and her wellbeing. Lily could be in danger and she wished she had listened to what Aaron had to say before she cut him off. What could be going on?

As her surroundings changed she knew she was close to the holding cells. Its brownish red walls unmistakable and the grime covering up at the corners inevitable. She had kicked off her pumps and she regretted it as a glass shard buried itself in her sole. So she had to stop and pick it out and it was then she noticed a strange shadow on the end of the hall she had just run past.

It gave her a strange feeling in the gut, could it be another inmate?

The shadow disappeared as she got up and started to run again. It was the guard’s problem not hers and she could not overpower an inmate for what it was worth. Her foot left a red trail and the metallic scent was unmistakable. She only hoped that Killer Croc was not the source of the shadow. That would be the end of her.

She knew she was coming closer to Lily as she heard shrieks, screams and something else, was it Lily crying amidst it all?

Joan passed the other cells containing some of the less severe inmates, some of them were cheering and some were making sounds of irritation.

“Make her shut up!”

“No! Make her cry more!”

Right in front of her she could see some of the staff holding down a pale creature. It was Lily and she looked terrified beyond belief. With eyes wide open and a mouth making the most heart breaking sounds. Leland could not help but feel her heartstrings being knot, and that was something that rarely happened in a place like this.

Stopping in front of Lily, Leland crouched down and said in a calm voice:

“You can tell me what happened, Lily come back to us, what was so scary?”

Leland said those words and followed them with what she hoped was soothing words. After a while Lily stopped her screaming and resorted to just cry, but still they did not manage to get a word out of her. They did not want to use anaesthetics just yet since Lily calmed down and because she was new to this place, she would have to undergo yet another interview.

When she had calmed down enough and stopped crying, Leland crouched even more over Lily and soothingly whispered calming words to her. It helped and Lily eventually managed to get words out.

“It was here again.”

“What was here again?”

 “The demon.” Came a whisper and grey eyes met Leland’s.

Leland was not surprised that Lily had had a psychotic breakdown. It was common for people struggling with such problems to have an episode of sorts when they arrive at Arkham. But still again seeing a grown up woman acting like a child made her feel sympathy for Lily.

“If you want to we can have a session at the interview room.”

The woman laid in a foetal position on the dirty floor. Staining her beige clothing a dark grey.

“Ye-s” came a hoarse whisper from Lily’s mouth.

With a hand motion two of the staff raised Lily from the floor and supported her as they all walked towards the interview room. The formation was a pitiful one and Lily had gone silent.

 

At The Riddler’s hideout.

 

“Absolutely no way!”

“ _Why not?”_

“WHY!! First of all he’s a manchild, he’s unclean and unstable ergo unsuitable for our plans!”

“ _Now now Edward, don’t get your panties in a knot, he’s staying whether you like it or not…”_ Jonathan Crane ended the sentence with a low hiss. It meant trouble so Edward kept his mouth shut although he still wanted to fight over it. He hated The Mad Hatter’s bantering about his wonderland and his creepy behaviour towards women.

He seethed with rage but kept it under check. He did not want to confront the Doctor’s other persona, oh The Riddler knew that Jonathan Crane did not have a split personality but still he could conjure up another side of himself. It frightened Edward and Jonathan knew it.

He always knew.

After all the good Doctor had once been an esteemed professor in psychology.

Edward corrected his purple tie before he once again continued his search for food. He found what he wanted, some pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs. He could feel his mouth watering as he microwaved and the smell got into the air. Once again he heard footsteps behind him.

“What is it now?” Edward could feel his irritation level rising up. But it was not Jonathan that had entered the kitchen, it was Jervis and he went forward with pleading eyes and those blue orbs found Edward’s green ones. Jervis stuttered something about being hungry and Edward had to use all his self-restraint to not cuss out the smaller man.

“Feel free to rummage the fridge.” Was all that came out of Edward’s mouth before he sauntered away with his plate.

The rudeness of some people.

Jonathan had seen the whole exchange and could not hide the smirk on his lips, those two were always entertaining when they interacted. How lucky they were that the warehouse had a sort of “open” structure, oh these few days could end up entertaining in the most satisfying way…

 

At Arkham Asylum

 

Just like earlier that day, Leland found herself sitting in front Lily but this time Lily looked beyond defeated. She did not raise her head when Leland put on the tape recorder and the all too familiar whirring noise came out, although it had been expected that Lily at least would show some reaction and maybe even make some noise about it.

But she didn’t show any emotion.

“What happened Lily?”

Doctor Leland’s voice was barely a whisper and she hoped that it would gain her patients attention. But Lily’s head hung still and strands of hair were infront of her face, making it impossible to read her facial expression. Doctor Leland reminded herself that from this moment on Lily would be allowed to call her by first name.

“Lily, I would like you to address me as Joan from now on.”

A couple of moments went by but in a slow motion, Lily raised her head and with a pained expression she started to move her lips.

“It was there again.”

“What was there again?” Joan could not help but ask that question, she was eager to know what could had scared her patient into a catatonic state. But at the same time she was conflicted about whether she should stay professional or become personally involved with her new patient. It was a difficult choice, Joan had always been seen as one of the more involved doctors at Arkham and that always came with a prize.

But then again she had never been fooled by any patient and she was still unsure about Lily.

For Lily on the other hand it surprised her that this, well, this sophisticated doctor had taken such interest in her. But maybe it was all for the job and the prestige that this Joan would get for worming herself into her brain. But to be allowed to call her by first name was a sign of trust and Lily appreciated it. But she was still a little bit wary and at the same time she knew that soon she would get moved into section D.

It terrified her.

How dangerous her life had become. She decided to look Joan in the eyes and there was a soft look in those brown eyes, perhaps it was out of sympathy alone and not out of genuine care. She had always hated to get sympathy from people who did not love her and she doubted that many people would love her after what she had done.

Lily decided that in the meanwhile she would take what she gets. It would be better than nothing in a place like this and that was the cold truth. She brushed her hair away from her face and a weak voice, hoarse from the screaming before started a conversation that Joan would remember for a long time.

“It was there again, the creature from before.” Lily had decided that she would tell everything about her recent episode.

It would not hurt would it?

Joan leant forward and the tape recorder was still on.

“What creature?”

Lily remained silent for a couple of moments but when she first started to express herself, she found out that it was easier than she previously thought it would be.

“It’s hard to describe, but it looks like a mixture of a wolf and a shadow. It has followed me since early childhood and it, it, has always been there but this time it whispered to me...”

“What did it whisper and is this the first time it has happened?”

“Yes” she nodded her head

Joan leaned back in her chair with a worried look on her face. This was not good at all, this could make it difficult for her in section D. The other patients would chew her and then spit her out. Without remorse and no after thought of it. Which yet again made Joan beg the question on why Lily would be moved to section D. On her notepad she wrote a notice to herself to ask Jeremiha about it and try to persuade him to send Lily into either one of the lower sections or to her own cell.

Joan shuddered at the thought of Lily having to share a cell with Poison Ivy.

Lily did not know how the asylum’s structure and system was but she had a foreboding sense that she would have to share a cell with one of the ladies of section D. That frightened her beyond belief. But what shouldn’t she be afraid of? All the other inmates were scarier than her.

But in the meantime she would have to focus on Joan. So she found herself yet again moving her lips and uttering words. But she remembered to not tell her everything that had happened. That would prove unwise and foolish.

Lily made it a point to look into Joan’s eyes as she told. Something which surprised them both.

“The creature is as I’ve already confided in you, made of mist and looks like it is part wolf. It has fangs, black beady eyes and hands with no nails. It came to me tonight and for the first time it spoke to me…”

“What did it say?” Joan was intrigued to say the least.

“It said: Don’t be afraid my child.”

Of course Joan had heard similar stories in her time at the asylum but something was not right when it came to Lily’s story. There was a knot in her belly that told her to stay alert and be ready for anything.

“Was there anything else that happened?”

“No…” Lily lied, she did not want to tell Joan how the mist had entered her room or how her voices had screamed in her head.

Joan on the other hand sensed the lie but she kept her mouth from questioning Lily further. The room felt claustrophobic as the silence drew them in and the air started to vibrate slowly until Joan opened her mouth.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I am” Lily nods her head.

Joan does not believe her but she lets it slide. However, she crosses her arms and gives Lily what is called “The Joan look”. It is an intense gaze meant to to encourage the patients to open up to her. It does not work as Lily let’s her head hang again.

The session was over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
